A U.S. citizen branded a fugitive by Hong Kong authorities for advocating democracy, condemns Beijing’s weaponization of Hong Kong’s National Security Law to silence global dissent.

By Sasha Gong

Sasha Gong is a scholar, journalist and filmmaker —she is also the first Asian-American and first (and only) woman to hold the post of Voice of America’s Director of the China Branch.

Last Friday, I woke up to shocking news: the Hong Kong government had placed a bounty of roughly $30,000 on my head. My photo appeared on a wanted list. The accusation? Treason. They allege that I’ve engaged in activities to overthrow the government. They also claimed that I left Hong Kong in 2013, implying that I was a Hong Kong resident under their jurisdiction.

Let me be absolutely clear. I am not a Hong Kong resident—and never have been. I have been a proud citizen of the United States for decades. In 2013, I visited Hong Kong in my capacity as Director of the China Branch at Voice of America, a U.S. government agency. I was there on official business. I have never acted outside the bounds of U.S. law, and I categorically reject the notion that a foreign regime has any jurisdiction over what I do on American soil.

So why the charge? And why now?

To understand this, we must revisit Hong Kong’s tragic transformation. After Britain handed the territory to China in 1997, Hong Kong was promised autonomy and freedoms under the “one country, two systems” principle. But in reality, freedom and the rule of law began to erode—slowly at first, and then rapidly. In 2019, two million Hongkongers marched in the streets, demanding free elections. Beijing responded with repression. In 2020, the Chinese Communist Party imposed the draconian National Security Law, criminalizing dissent. Thousands were arrested. Independent media outlets were shut down. A former police chief now sits as Hong Kong’s top official, faithfully enforcing Beijing’s will.

In August 2020, Elmer Yuen—a free-thinking Hong Kong entrepreneur known affectionately by his online audience as “Papa Yuen”—invited me to join his popular YouTube show. I accepted. I’m a native Cantonese speaker, born and raised in nearby Guangzhou. I lived under Chinese communism for decades before coming to the U.S. as a student in 1987. On March 29, 2001, I proudly became a naturalized American citizen. That very night, President George W. Bush personally congratulated me at the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner.

Though I’ve never lived in Hong Kong, I share deep bonds with its people. In 1974, while still in China, I joined an underground pro-democracy group in Guangzhou. We circulated Samizdat-style writings demanding political reform. Many of our articles were smuggled to Hong Kong, where we received support from sympathetic student unions. I was later imprisoned for my activism and spent a year in solitary confinement. When I was released, it was Hongkongers who reached out to help us—offering both material aid and solidarity.

That’s why I felt compelled to speak out when Hong Kong began to fall. On Elmer Yuen’s show, I’ve focused primarily on introducing the American political system to a Cantonese-speaking audience—explaining checks and balances, free elections, and the importance of government accountability. In one episode in the summer of 2022, I gave a historical lecture titled “From the Continental Congress to the Declaration of Independence.” I argued that true government legitimacy stems from the consent of the governed. I also criticized both Britain and China—Britain for denying Hong Kong full democracy, and China for dismantling the rule of law.

Mr. Yuen took these ideas seriously. He launched an ambitious project to develop an online voting system for Hongkongers in exile, using secure identity verification to ensure safe participation. The goal was not to overthrow anyone, but to offer a peaceful path toward representative governance.

Beijing, predictably, reacted with fear and fury. The Hong Kong authorities placed a one-million-HK-dollar bounty on Mr. Yuen—twice. They forced his relatives to publicly denounce him. They continued outlawing all forms of opposition: political parties, newspapers, student groups, even online discussions. And now, they’re targeting me—an American citizen exercising her First Amendment rights on American soil.

Make no mistake: this is not about me. It’s about a global authoritarian power increasingly attempting to export its repression beyond its borders. If the Chinese regime can intimidate or punish American citizens for speaking freely, then none of us are truly safe.

The United States must stand up to this. Not only for my sake, but for the millions in Hong Kong—and beyond—who still believe in freedom, dignity, and democracy.

This essay was published first by Sasha Gong via X.

Related Reading

More Overseas Pro-Democracy Activists Targeted by Hong Kong National Security Bounty